Policy Of The Liberty Party

We havo received a circular] from Vlessrs lieckley S Poster, of Michigan, vith a request that it may be printed in ie Emancipator, urging reasons why 10 Liberty party ougtit fortliwiih to ake broader ground for its basis, and lo mbraco within ils scopo such a general vstem of policy, "in all respects, as the iteiTsts of the country (Iemand. " We itetjd to publish the circular, at some onvenient scason, in connoction witli ome other documenta on the same suboct. Tho writers are of the opinión thatthre s uo ho[)o of the Liberty party oblainmg inillion of votes, enough lo ctirry the ountry, so long as we liold to a positíon vhich röqüire'a those who joih us to stand aloof fiom the determination of all other loluical (nestions during the whole peiod, it mny be ton ortwenty years. thnt he parly is growing to power.1 bey propnsc that the Liberly pnrtv hould tako ground, not only Tor the aboliion of slavtïry, but for equal s'jiTrnge, ind equal rights n all rcsp'ects without cferenco to birth or color ; íor the olccion of all officcrs, tlic siftipliffdatioH of udioinl proceodings, low salarien, reducion of tho nrmy nnd nnvv, tarift' lor evenuo only, and ehcap postage. We have nbundnnt proofs, from all quarlers, and particulcrly in the West, jfa growing desire among Liberty men, ohaveour parly tnkc a bold.nnd advanced positiou on some or all of thosc points. Indeed we seo how the discussion ofqueslions of human nghiá naturally leads men to undervalue the narrow and artificial pnlic.ies which haVe heen fashionable. And we have not the lea.st alarm concerning these evident tendencics. ]ut we do not sce how the Liberty party can be brought to a unily on these topics. Some of them are of local interest ; important in some states but not in others. Others will probably bo definitively seltlcd, beforo tlie Liberty party will have occasion to moet any responsibility concoruing them. The Liberty is made up of men of widely diverse opinión on all these subjects. Tbc ':one idea" seems to us qnile largo enongh to rally upon. Tlie National Convention will not meet under a year and a half or two yenrs. For i hese rcasons we t hink the project inadmissible, nndlhat, ifit is discussed, the discussion should bo conducted vvith tlie greatest condor and forbearance. - Boston Emancipator.On this text wc have several remarles lo makc. 1. lt seems thal "the project" of adopting such a general system of policy as ;tlio intercsts of the coiintry demond," is deemed by the Emancipator to bc "inadmissible." The proposal finds no favor with its Editor, nnd 'oue idea" seems to liim 'quite large enough to rally jpon.' [las Mr. Leavitt reflected carefully on tho consequences which must result from maintaining the position here assumed? At its beginning,the Liberty party, being few in numbers, took no specific ground on any except their paramount object- -the Abolition of Slavery. ín this they acted wisely. But they distinctly nnnounccd, again and ngain, tho principie upon which is measurcs upon olhcr politica! qucstions sliould bo bascd - the Eqiml Rights of AH. Six years have pnssed away ; and now, wnen it is proposed, as exprcsscd by the Buflhlo National Convention, to 'carry out the principios of tho Liberty party in all their, legitímate consequences and npplicalions,' wc are told by the Emancipator that 'the project is inadmissibte' and the one idea of abolition is 'quite largo enough'! The moment the Liberty party sanctions this doctrine, t bccomes committed, at once. ngainst any action or even expression of opinión on any polilical subject whatever, except Abolilion. Ilitherlo the party lias negleclcd to takc ground on othcr questions : t has now been ftsked to do it j - aud ihis neglcct, if coniinucd, will become a positivo and absolute bjsfusal! If this doctrine bc approved,all who join 't hereafter v.ill distinctly understand that they imite with a party which uttcrly refusesto say or do any thing except on a single subject: - a party that labors to libérate th,e colorea Slavc of the Southern States from thraldom, but will do nothing to remedy the opprrssions and gricvances of the white nnllions in our inidst: - a party that does notdesire - nny, that icill not permit the introduction of anv poliiical measures for their good to be proposcd for disciussion or action! IIow long will it take to bring over ihe mass of the white people of the United Stalos to the suprort of such a party ? And without this su pport the Liberty party cannot succeed as analional one. '2. Bbt let us consider tiic reasons adducwl for pursuing this narrow policy. The first is, that the Liberty party cannot bc brought to 'a jnity on these topics,' inasmuch ns 'the Liberty party is made up of men of widely diverse opinions on all these subjects." This last nssertion, wc apprehend, is not true in fact. Wc venture to sny that on one half of the topics enumeratcd, there is no actual disngrement of opinión. VVhat Liberty man can bc found who is opposed to 'equal sufirnge,' 'equal rights in all respects,' 'the.simpliJicntion of judicial proceedings,' 'low salaries,' and 'chcap postage,'? We have not yet encountered one opponent of these objects in all our acquaintance with the Liberty party. And what insurmounfnble diííiculties are found in the othcr topics enumerated? Examine & sec. The election of all public oíficers by the poople, as far as practicable, is a proposal popular in the West with men of all pnrties, and opposed onlyiy a. few Old Ilunkers, f rom nterestcd notives". VV'c nevcr henrd a Liberty nan object to it. As to n reform ir. the Navy nnd Army, lio need of it isadmilted by all intelligent jiberty men. II o w many editorials has he Emancipator contained, showíng up hc abuses of the present systcm! As to i rcduclion of the expenditures for War, ivhich now consume in time of proibund leace, two thirds of all that is raiscd by ï.-it ioïinl inxutioiijthcre wil] be no quarrel imong Liberty men respect ing it. The only remaining source of disngreiient is the tarifT. In IS44, the wholc Liberty party unitcd ín the support of a Prcsidential candidato who, if clected iuring bis term of oiïlco would have suslained a Tariff adequate for supporting lbo neecssities of the Government. lf llic wbole party wcre unitcd then in the sii)port of a candidato who avovved this as liis policy, what reason liave we to anticípate any important división of opinion on this subject? We suppose nino-tonlhs of tlio party would be unanimous in support ing such a tariÜ' at present. We ure al.so finnly persuadrd that if the national c.xpenditures could be ultimatcly reduced lo fifty or seventv five cents a year for each person, as they might bc by abolisliing the War system, the great mass of the people would prefer to raiso so small an amount by direct taxation, rather tban b a cumbrous and expensive custom house system. But whellier the Liberty party could be unanimous on these po"ints or not, the members or sections would not difler more respecting them than tho other partios do. Neithcr of them has been "brought lo a unity" on tbis subject. This cry of "canH agree" is very plausible nnd easily raised ; but it bas little real forcé. On nnalysing thepoints of dilTcrenco to ascertain on whul ve can't agrce,lhc dillbrenccs, which,in their undefi nedand shadowy state, looked at a diötance like mountain?, diminish to a sinall compaseé Let any Liberty man try it, and hc will find that the points in whicli we all finnly unite are far more numerous and important Iban those in whicb wo may possibly difier in opinión.3. But it is objocted that some of thcso measures aro 'of local interest, important in some Stntcs, bui not in otlicrs.' This is not truc ofany except tho question of Equal Suftrage. Five New England States havo already adoptcd il : but in New Harnpshire, nllhough the negro may vote, we are told a Calholic Ci.nnot Iwld office! 4. It is furthcr objected that somo of these subjects will probably be definitelv settled before the Liberty party will have ati3r occasion to act upon them. We answer, that that is no good reason for not giving our influence, as far ns we can, for seltling them right. But of ibis dtfinile settlemen'. there is no certainty. Mow long is lho Liberty party to bc in the minority? Ifit ever succeeds as a naliona) party, we anticípate for it a growth in future very far surpai.sing that ofiis years of infancy. 5. But it is said that the "one idea is quite largo enough to rally upon." We reply, that if Abolition is to bo the only object of the Liberty party, and it reFtSKS to discus-? or act on all o! her (jucstions. it will not be íound large enough to ensurc the support oí any considerable portion of the peoplc. On this basis, it cannot succeed as a nalional party. The most it can do will be to induce and stimulate the antislavery action of another party, 03 proposed by Gerrit Smitb. Will Mr. Leavitt be salisfied with consigning the Liberty ])arty to l'us destiny? A party rcfusing to act or speak except on one subject can never succeed very much in the West. Wc know this from a long and intímate acquainlanco with the people of this section. Ilowever wild or erroncous may be their notions, thcy believc in having and expressing free thoughls on all subjects, and ín acling them out. G. 13ut the Emaucipator says that "the National Convcnlion will not meet under a year and a half or two years." Wel], what of it? Must nolhing bc said on theso subjects beforo that time? Is the coursc and policy of the Liberty party to be determined by that Convention, the articles of iis iaith to be cut and dried by rulo, by a Ccw individuáis, while previous discussions of them by the peoplo generally is carefully deprecated and skillfully prevented? "If thejiroject is discussed" -says the Emancipator. Why this "ir"? For our part, we go for a full discussion of theso matlers and all others partaining to the Liberty party, in every Liberty meeting in the country - State, county, town, school district, and at the fireside. Ater this discussion, let the Nalional Convention be held, and its decisión will be right, and wiil obtain an enorgetic support. This idea of having the whole Liberty party wait till the National Conventiorf mects before any discussion of important principies can properly take place, does not strike us favorably. It looks very much like Old ilunkerism. 7. Lastly, we observo that the party will be committcd to political measures through its ca7ididates,i( it be not throughits conventions. When Mr. Birney vas the Prcsidential candidate in 1844, hc was questionod respecting lu's views on the Tnriff. He answorcd candidly, nnd thcreby indirectly eommitted the wholc party whose candidate he was. Lnst fall, while candidate for Governor of this Stato hc was asked ifhe wao in Cavar of the sale of the Railroad, and answered yes, sathat all who voted for him in fact also voted for'the mcasurc So it must bo, in the nature of the case. Suppose Mr. Loaviti was candidate for Congrcss and whüe uddressing his fcllow citizons in Boston, he should be asked whether, if elected, he would support the tariff of 1842? Wc supnosë he. would fcel bound to givo his views, yes or no, as tho case might be. Suppose he nddressed 50 meetings during the catnpaign and was asked the qncsiion, his reply would be the same, and individuáis would or would not vote for him.according as their views coinciJed with, or diflered from his. - Fiere wc see that his act ion would nccessarily commit the party of his district, and lluit ihc question of supportitig a tcrifF would inevitably beacted upon. It is so in all elections. In supporting men, we support the measures to which thcy are eommitted. We have before us a statement which sets forlh, that at an adjourned meeting of the National Convention of the Liberty party, held in New York city, in May 1840, the follovving resolulions were passed unanimously, after full discussion, Rev. Joshua Lcavitt, Torrcy, Godding and fifty six others pnrticipated in the procecdings: "Resolved, That the applieation of the principies of our enterprise loeoery interest of society, is called for, by the condition of our country and the (Iemands of justice ;nd humanity. Resolved, That while we regard the question of slaverv as the greatest political question now extensively agitatet before the country, and are determinec nut to sacrifice nor defe.r the cause o freedom to any o;hcr political mensure we will neverthcless sustain, os importan and üssentinl principias, the equal polU cal and civ.il rights of all mev, and wil opposc the pri?}ci])?c and the practce oj partiaj and c,vrJi;s'cc prièlcges, whctliéi in refcrence to business, sujfrage or eti gibility to public stations: recognizing no logulizerï prerogativcs on account o birlli, wcalili, Icummg or complexión.' Now we propone that the Liberty part} aba)] do tho very things they proiniseu to o iti these resolulions; but Mr. Lea vilt says tho "project" is "iuadmissible" The onc idea is "quito largo enough' with him! Wc presumo our brother o the Emancipator will not consider il a miss, if we respect fully enquiro of him whether he hns riltèrVd liis inind, anc intends to recede from tho position to which hc assen ted at this Convei.tion six years ago? RIany of his readers a the West would be grati'ied by an esplieit nnswer.